Herman Lee Meader
Encyclopedia
Herman Lee Meader was an American architect and author.
Equen). Meader was educated at Soulė College and Tulane
, Cornell
and Harvard
Universities, and received a Bachelor of Science
from Harvard in 1898. He worked as an architect in New York, first in the office of Ernest Flagg
until 1905, and then Raymond Almirall afterwards for about four years. Both Flagg and Almirall were known for terra cotta
and color effects in their architecture.
Meader married Queenie Ethel Carr in New York on March 17, 1909. After travelling abroad, he returned to New York in 1913 to start his own practice, receiving commissions to design several prominent buildings in Manhattan, both commercial and residential. He also did much work for the Astor estate
, including the Waldorf Hotel
at 8 West 33rd Street, then the heart of the fashionable shopping district. Meader lived in the Waldorf Hotel penthouse, where he created a surrounding rooftop Italian garden. There he held elaborate parties which attracted musicians, artists, writers, prizefighters, chess players and others – at one, Meader staged a fight between a black snake and a king snake.
Meader was a member of the Harvard Club, the Strollers Club, the Astor Masonic Lodge
, the National Geographic Society
and the New York Southern Society. He was also a yacht
sman.
and Aztec
architecture and made regular expeditions to Chichén Itzá
in the Yucatán
and other sites. Among the buildings he designed are:
Also, in 1920-22, Meader designed an "L"-shaped addition to the American Surety Company Building
at 100 Broadway, fronting both Broadway and Pine Streets, which complemented Bruce Price
's original 1894-1896 design. Changes in building codes as well as the necessities of visual balance required Meader to make some alterations to Price's building, such as replacing the original gilded parapet with "an elaborate cornice topped by a row of anthemia" on top of the new two-story penthouse.
Life and career
Meader was born in New Orleans, the son of Herman Frederick Louis Meader and Susanne Lee Meader (néeNEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Equen). Meader was educated at Soulė College and Tulane
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Universities, and received a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from Harvard in 1898. He worked as an architect in New York, first in the office of Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg was a noted American architect in the Beaux-Arts style. He was also an advocate for urban reform and architecture's social responsibility.-Biography:...
until 1905, and then Raymond Almirall afterwards for about four years. Both Flagg and Almirall were known for terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
and color effects in their architecture.
Meader married Queenie Ethel Carr in New York on March 17, 1909. After travelling abroad, he returned to New York in 1913 to start his own practice, receiving commissions to design several prominent buildings in Manhattan, both commercial and residential. He also did much work for the Astor estate
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
, including the Waldorf Hotel
Waldorf Hotel
Waldorf Hotel may refer to:*The original name of the Waldorf Hilton, a hotel in London*The name of one of the two hotels that merged to form the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City...
at 8 West 33rd Street, then the heart of the fashionable shopping district. Meader lived in the Waldorf Hotel penthouse, where he created a surrounding rooftop Italian garden. There he held elaborate parties which attracted musicians, artists, writers, prizefighters, chess players and others – at one, Meader staged a fight between a black snake and a king snake.
Meader was a member of the Harvard Club, the Strollers Club, the Astor Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
and the New York Southern Society. He was also a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
sman.
Architecture
Meader was intensely interested in MayanMaya architecture
A unique and spectacular style, Maya architecture spans several thousands of years. Often the most dramatic and easily recognizable as Maya are the stepped pyramids from the Terminal Pre-classic period and beyond. Being based on the general Mesoamerican architectural traditions these pyramids...
and Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
architecture and made regular expeditions to Chichén Itzá
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán state, present-day Mexico....
in the Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
and other sites. Among the buildings he designed are:
- 1907: – Patton House in Greenville, South CarolinaGreenville, South Carolina-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, for his sister Bertha E. Meader and her husband, Avery Patton - 1913: – 154-160 West 14th Street14th Street (Manhattan)14th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street rivals the size of some of the well-known avenues of the city and is an important business location....
, a loft building on the corner of Seventh AvenueSeventh Avenue (Manhattan)Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
; designated a New York City landmark on June 28, 2011. - 1914: – The Cliff Dwelling apartment building at 243 Riverside DriveRiverside DriveA number of cities around the world have a Riverside Drive.In the United States:*Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive...
at 96th Street96th Street (Manhattan)96th Street is a major two-way street in East Harlem and the Upper West Side, which is a part of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from the East River at the FDR Drive to the Henry Hudson Parkway at the Hudson River... - 1915: – 37 West 37th Street between the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and Seventh AvenueSeventh Avenue (Manhattan)Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
- 1915: – 10 East 39th Street
- 1915-1916: – B.W. Mayer Building at 130 East 25th Street at Lexington Avenue (restored 1995-1996 by Cindy Harden and Jan Van Arnam). Originally an office building, it is currently the Friends House of Rosehill, an AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
hostelHostelHostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
. - 1917: – 509 Fifth AvenueFifth Avenue (Manhattan)Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
- 1917: Greenwich Village Theatre in Sheridan Square at 4th Street an Seventh AvenueSeventh Avenue (Manhattan)Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
; an intimate theatre that seated 450, no longer extant.
Also, in 1920-22, Meader designed an "L"-shaped addition to the American Surety Company Building
American Surety Building
The American Surety Building is a historic skyscraper located at 100 Broadway, New York City, New York, opposite Trinity Church. It has been declared a landmark as one of Manhattan's most influential early skyscrapers....
at 100 Broadway, fronting both Broadway and Pine Streets, which complemented Bruce Price
Bruce Price
Bruce Price was the American architect of many of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Château-type stations and hotels...
's original 1894-1896 design. Changes in building codes as well as the necessities of visual balance required Meader to make some alterations to Price's building, such as replacing the original gilded parapet with "an elaborate cornice topped by a row of anthemia" on top of the new two-story penthouse.